Contact Lens Exams From Your Sandy Springs Optometrist

If you're having trouble with blurred or distorted vision due to a structural eye abnormality known as a refractive error, you may be glad you're obtaining a prescription for corrective lenses from your Sandy Springs optometrist here at Eye 1st Vision Center. But if you specifically want contact lenses instead of just eyeglasses, your vision correction journey isn't quite over yet. Perfectly chosen and fitted contact lenses require a separate stage of evaluation above and beyond simple vision testing -- and you can have this contact lens exam performed at our optometry center.

Refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia are conditions that make it impossible to see clearly in one or more visual fields. Nearsightedness and farsightedness are caused by the eyeball and/or cornea being either too elongated or too foreshortened for images to focus precisely on the back of the eye. Small "pits" in corneal contours cause isolated distortions known as astigmatism, while presbyopia occurs in middle age when the lens of the eye loses some of its focusing flexibility. All of these issues are relatively easy to correct with a pair of eyeglasses perched on your nose.

What To Expect From Your Contact Lens Exam

Contact lenses, however, add many levels of complexity. Not only must the lenses fit on the eye perfectly to avoid harming it and to secure accurate vision correction, but a variety of health and lifestyle factors impact what types of contact lenses you can wear. A contact lens exam at our Sandy Springs optometry center factors in all of these issues to make sure you're getting the right vision correction solution for your needs. The exam includes such important steps as:

Detailed eye measurements - Our Sandy Springs optometrist can get a basic measure of your corneal contours by using an instrument called a keratometer. To obtain more detailed measurements, we also use corneal topography to map every little irregularity on the corneal surface. We then measure the size of your irises and pupils so the contact lenses will cover these structures precisely.

Health evaluation - We must look at any underlying health issues that might affect your ability to wear contacts. For instance, we will examine your tear production and tear film to see whether you can tolerate ordinary contacts or need specialized moisture-retaining contacts made from hydrogel. If you have a condition called keratoconus, you may need scleral contacts; if you have presbyopia, you'll need multifocals. We will take these and other issues into consideration in guiding your contact lens selection.